It is said that you cannot teach old dogs new tricks. Take Missy (1998 - 2012) for example. She hated "shower time", unlike her twin brother Boy (1998 - 2009) who drank more of the water than he accepted outside his body!
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| YOU CERTAINLY COULD NOT TEACH MISSY ANYTHING SHE DID NOT WANT TO LEARN! |
Sometimes, however, after a particularly hot day or a muddy walk "shower time" was needed. Missy tried to escape but could not get out of the garden. She tried to curl up in a ball but was coaxed out of the foetal position by the warm water and soft lather. She didn't like being wet and so, as soon as she was released she shook herself exuberantly, water flying everywhere. We often thought that she was secretly pleased to be clean but she would never show it.
Missy was an intelligent dog, putting up with us - after all we fed her, took her for walks and provided a warm and comfortable home but she did learn to accept the conditions she needed to survive in our house:
- No loud barking,
- No fighting over food,
- Frequent exercise,
- No pooping indoors,
- Learning to fetch, drop, sit and lie down, to order,
- NEVER to go beyond the kitchen threshold to explore the house,
- To maintain a certain level of hygiene...
If only all old dogs were as easy to train.
